Who should fix the items on a home inspection report before closing?

Two separate questions hide in this one. Who pays for a repair is set by your purchase contract and what you negotiate: the seller may repair the item, give you a credit, or leave it for you. Who does the work is about the job itself, and Virginia's licensing rules answer most of it: a licensed tradesman for wiring, pipes and heating or cooling, a licensed contractor for larger jobs, a lead-safe certified firm for old paint, and never the inspector who wrote the report.

Who pays: the contract, not the report

A home inspection report is information for you, not a list of things the seller owes. The federal consumer bureau describes it this way: "The inspector works for you and should tell you whether the home you want to buy is in good condition".^[2] Virginia's disclosure statement, for its part, says "the owner makes no representations or warranties as to the condition of the real property," and points buyers to their own due diligence "in accordance with terms and conditions as may be contained in the real estate purchase contract, but in any event prior to settlement."^[1]

So the order is: read the report, check the inspection deadline in your contract, and send a written repair request through your agent before that deadline. For each item, you usually have three ways to ask:

• A seller repair. Simple if the seller hires the right business and gives you receipts. You rely on a walk-through to confirm it.
• A credit or price change. You choose the business after closing and can check the work yourself. Often the better fit for larger or trade items.
• No request. Reasonable for cosmetic items you plan to handle anyway.

How a request and a counter-offer play out is a contract matter. If anything about your contract's terms is unclear, ask your agent or a real estate attorney before the deadline passes.

Read the report for what was not inspected, too. To the extent a component or system cannot be inspected, the report must identify it and explain why it was not inspected.^[3] A system that was shut off or blocked is worth asking about before settlement, not after.

Who does the work: match the item to the licence

Electrical, plumbing and HVAC items. In Virginia, no individual may do electrical, plumbing or HVAC work for the public for pay without a tradesman licence unless working under the supervision of a tradesman licensed in that specialty.^[5][6] A handyman's home improvement licence does not stretch to cover it: "The HIC specialty does not provide for electrical, plumbing, HVAC, or gas fitting functions."^[8]

Anything over $1,000. A Class C licence covers a single contract or project over $1,000 but less than $30,000.^[7] A repair bundle in that range should go to a business with a contractor licence whose class and specialty fit the work. See how to check a contractor's licence in Virginia and what jobs a handyman can do without a contractor licence.

Painted surfaces in a pre-1978 house. Under the EPA's rule, anyone paid to disturb painted surfaces in homes built before 1978 must be certified in lead-safe work practices.^[9] The rule generally does not apply to homeowners doing projects in their own pre-1978 homes, but it does apply if you buy, renovate and sell homes for profit.^[9]

Cosmetic items. Touch-up paint, sticking doors, loose hardware and caulk are ordinary handyman work, and they often make sense to leave for after closing, when you can pick the business and the timing.

Why the inspector should not do the repairs

Virginia's home inspector rules forbid an inspector to design or perform repairs or modifications on a house the inspector inspected within the previous 12 months.^[4] The only exception is an inspector who later buys the house. An inspector also may not refer you to someone for repairs unless the inspector gives the client written documentation that clearly discloses any financial interest the inspector has or expects to have with that person.^[4] And the rules add: "The home inspection must not be used as a pretext by the licensee to solicit or obtain work in another field, except for additional diagnostic inspections or testing."^[4]

A re-inspection of repaired items is a different thing. Some inspectors offer one for a fee, and it is a sensible way to confirm larger repairs before you sign.

Paperwork to ask for

For every repair done before closing, ask for the invoice, the business's name and licence number, any permit, and any written warranty on the work. The Board for Contractors' guide suggests a job file holding a copy of the signed contract and any change orders, bills and invoices, canceled checks, lien releases, correspondence, and photographs or video of the job.^[10] If a repair fails later, that file is what you work from. The guide also says that if a contractor refuses to make corrections, you should file a written complaint with the Board for Contractors.^[10]

For what to fix first if the work falls to you, see what to fix first after a home inspection and the most common problems found in home inspections.

Stop and call a pro if

• The report mentions a gas smell, a gas leak, scorched or warm electrical parts, or a furnace or water heater venting problem.
• There is active water: a roof leak, a plumbing leak, or a wet basement or crawlspace.
• The report flags foundation movement, sagging framing or a soft floor.
• A repair would sand, scrape or cut paint in a house built before 1978.

Getting the work quoted

If items fall to you after closing, put them on one numbered list; see how to make a punch list before closing. You can find handyman businesses around Blacksburg, browse punch-list services, or read the other handyman answers. When you are ready, describe the repairs once and licensed local businesses quote them; plumbing, HVAC, electrical and gas work need a licence on Loclis at any job size.